Mental health care can be expensive. Therapists in private practice routinely charge over a hundred dollars per hour in the United States. Are they worth it? That's a good question, and a complex one. Many patients are also seen for no fee or low fees at community mental health centers and VA hospitals by salaried therapists. Compared to the fees charged by some medical specialists, almost all mental health services are a bargain.
Many people don't have money to see a private therapist, however. What options are available to people who don't have insurance and can't afford the fees? Most states in the U.S. have a system of community mental heath centers that receive some funding from the state and federal governments. These centers usually charge fees on a sliding scale based on income. In my home state of Virginia these centers are called "community services boards." Information on these resources is available in the government section of most telephone books.
When you seek help from one of these agencies you will often meet first with a clinician for an "intake interview." This person will try to get as much information as they can in order to see that you get the help you need. They may or may not end up being your therapist.
Many private therapists accept Medicaid. This state-run program for low income persons is partially funded by the Federal government. If you have Medicaid you can shop for a therapist the same way anyone else would. Just be sure that the therapist takes Medicaid.
Low income people are often eligible for free or discounted prescriptions. Most drug companies have programs to provide these medications free-of-charge to those who truly cannot afford them. These programs are not well advertised because the companies are in business to sell drugs, not to give them away.
One additional source of free help might interest some readers. Before a new medication comes onto the market in the U.S. (and most other countries) it must be subjected to research. The last stage of research, the clinical trial, recruits subjects to try these new treatments. Subjects get free medical tests and free treatment, and some even get paid. Since almost all studies also have a control group or control condition, there is a chance that you will get a placebo - an inactive sugar pill - instead of an active medication. If you are willing to risk being in a control group, then clinical trials are worth considering.
For more information:
Mental Health on a Budget Resources
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
ClinicalTrials.gov - a new U.S. Government database of clinical trials
Medicaid information from Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law
Gaza community mental health programme
Self-Help Clearinghouse - from Mental Help Net
800 Numbers to help you get help - at Mental Help Net
